Search - 2014

 
 
EDITORIALS
Feb 23, 2017

Dig up all the 'amakudari' dirt

Revelations of 'amakudari' at the education ministry underline the need for all ministries and agencies to undergo strict investigations to root out the practice across the government.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 23, 2017

Cerezo target J. League upset

The following is the first of a two-part preview for the upcoming J. League season. Team-by-team previews of the nine lowest-ranking teams competing in the first division are listed.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2017

Regional underdog shows Japanese banks how to beat demographics

Critics say Kochi Shinkin Bank has lost its way and is acting more like an investment firm than a regional lender. Supporters say it shows that provincial banks can thrive in Japan even as their customer base shrinks, so long as they're prepared to adopt new business models.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 23, 2017

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone hope to dance their way to Oscars glory in 'La La Land'

It's Hollywood's weekend. The 89th Academy Awards will be held Feb. 26 and nominated for a record 14 Oscars is a musical ode to the award's hometown titled "La La Land."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 23, 2017

What to prepare for when you're expecting one of Murakami's mammoths

Haruki Murakami has put scientists to shame. Harvard geneticists recently announced that they are two years away from bringing the wooly mammoth back from extinction, while Murakami is releasing his latest mammoth tonight: His novel "Kishidancho Goroshi" will be published in two 500-page volumes via...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 22, 2017

Kanji Furutachi: Reacting to Japan's film industry

Over the years I've heard many complaints about the bad acting in Japanese films, from the hammy emoting of over-indulged veterans to the amateurish turns of "idols" cast more for their agency connections than any perceptible talent. I've added to this chorus of negativity, but I've also noticed that...
CULTURE / Film
Feb 22, 2017

'Man Down': War injuries go beyond the battlefield

'Man Down" is an indictment of war, and its message is one that focuses on its terrible lingering consequences — specifically, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With many ending up homeless, suffering mental difficulties or becoming suicidal, PTSD is a real issue. According...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2017

Bankers bet on big batteries that could revolutionize power grids

The idea that giant batteries may someday revolutionize electrical grids has long enthralled clean-power advocates and environmentalists. Now it's attracting bankers with the money to make it happen.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 22, 2017

Facing treason probe, Ukrainian MP plans to travel to Washington to pitch peace plan to Trump

A Ukrainian lawmaker who proposed an alternative plan for peace with Russian-backed separatists to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration told Reuters on Tuesday he plans to travel to Washington to present the proposal publicly.
EDITORIALS
Feb 21, 2017

Uncertainty rattles French politics

There is fear that the French presidential ballot will produce the same upheavals as did the presidential campaign in the United States.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Feb 21, 2017

How Trump's plans might deal a blow to Japanese firms

If Trump tries to realign the global structure of manufacturing industries that have become heavily concentrated in Asia, Japanese firms will be hit hard.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 21, 2017

Okubo eager to ignite offense, make impact for FC Tokyo

New FC Tokyo striker Yoshito Okubo admits that he feels "anxious" unless he is scoring goals, but the capital city club will be hoping to see him unwind over the coming J. League season as it goes in search of its first title.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2017

Responding to Trump's currency accusations

It's wrong for the U.S. to dictate Japan's monetary policy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2017

Economic tools lose their edge

The maturing of the market economy has eliminated the ability to control the economy by way of fiscal and monetary policies.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2017

The right way for the U.S. to confront China

Recent moves by the Trump administration toward a more traditional China policy are welcome, but not enough to meet the challenge from Beijing.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 20, 2017

Vissel aiming for the stars with or without Podolski

Vissel Kobe's reported summer move for former Germany striker Lukas Podolski has made global headlines, but manager Nelsinho believes the players already at the club can lay the foundations for a J. League title challenge this season.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Feb 20, 2017

Divorcee marriages hit historic high

About 1 in 4 marriages in the nation involved a divorced person in 2015, the highest ratio since 1952, the earliest year for which data is available.
WORLD
Feb 20, 2017

Islamic State airs video of Cairo church bomber, threatens Egypt's Christians

Islamic State published a video on Sunday threatening Egyptian Christians and showing the last statement of a man it said was responsible for the deadly bombing in December of a Coptic cathedral in Cairo.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2017

Kerry and Israeli, Jordanian, Egyptian leaders secretly met for peace talks a year ago: report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met secretly a year ago with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan in a failed attempt by the Obama administration to convene a wider regional summit on Israeli-Palestinian peace, Israel's Haaretz daily said Sunday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2017

Japan's buckling health care system at a crossroads

U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to repeal “Obamacare” has left many people here wondering: How does Japan compare?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2017

Japan's health care system edges foreign care in expat survey

Just over half of non-Japanese residents feel Japan's health care system is generally better than that in their home countries, a trend particularly pronounced among U.S. citizens, with 3 out of 4 rating it more highly, an informal Japan Times survey has found.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Feb 19, 2017

Media outside Japan must stop normalizing sumo as an ethno-sport

Foreign correspondents should not pander to stereotypes, passing overt racism off as 'tradition' practiced by those mystical, hidebound, inscrutable Japanese.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 19, 2017

Hard to detect, deadly China bird flu virus may be more widespread

Bird flu infection rates on Chinese poultry farms may be far higher than previously thought, because the strain of the deadly virus that has killed more than 100 people this winter is hard to detect in chickens and geese, animal health experts say.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2017

Fighting the good fight for ocean health

Our responsibility for the ocean's health is as deep, fundamental and permanent as our dependence on it.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan